Monday, October 16, 2017

Salisbury Mayor Salary Should Be Increased

At Tonight's Salisbury City Council Work Session, an increase in pay for the Mayor of the City is scheduled for discussion. Currently the Mayor receives 25,000 per year. The proposal is to increase the salary to 75,000. The City of Salisbury is in a unique position as our City Charter makes it clear we are a strong Mayor form of Government, which means the Mayor runs the show,

I have always felt that the salary at 25,000 is ridiculous. When Jim Ireton was being a part time Mayor while teaching that was acceptable. Barrie Tilghman and Jake Day especially have been full time always working Mayors. Paying someone to run the City full time barely above minimum wage is sad.

Raising the salary to 75 thousand will also encourage more people to consider running for this office. I would however offer up a solution to offset the increase in salary. We currently have 2 Deputy City Administrators, which I believe we should limit that to 1. Jake Day I can vouch for is always on the clock and is certainly deserving the salary increase for the job.

59 comments:

Anonymous
said...

$45,000 is more than generous! $75k is ridiculous. There aren't any jobs in the area that pay that much! Salaries are s*** and why should mayor profit when he's failed to bring quality jobs here? How many decent jobs have left!

Sorry but if the town had been prospering and running half way decent I would say 125K would be fine. But the shape this place is in with employment, crime, etc., 25K is too much. Just my humble opinion.

Only you could endorse a pay raise that is recommended by the wife of one of Days biggest campaign contributors. This is just the rich keeping the rich richer. Its rich all right. More spoiled kids keeping each other in the money.

bs ...instead of just thinking about how much you dislike Day, how about respect the hard work and position of Mayor. Jake Day like him or not is always working in that Office, you may not like his choices but that doesn't mean the office shouldn't pay more

Yes JT, more, but not more than 99.5% of his constituents! $45,000 is more than fair for the job. He ran knowing the salary was $25,000 and was willing to make the commitment.

How about a $2500 raise per year for the next 8 years and then re-visit the issue? The city is incurring so many new costs with all of these new programs, the new festival, a new city hall, etc. Typical liberal ideology, tax and spend!

It's no wonder then city is full of renters, and not homeowners, no one can afford the taxes. And businesses can't either, so many move into the county, or even more so to Delaware.

Your rationalization of this way, as well as the committee that came up with it, is off base! Frederick City (much bigger and larger tax base) and Wicomico County (apples and oranges - city to county comparison) are the poorest examples. Fact is; they can't really find any comparable and just needed to make it look like they did. Even if, $75K was the right number, you don't just change it. At best; you'd phase it in! For example; using the council’s example, of 18%, adjust the mayor's salary 18% each election cycle, or yearly, until it is at the desired level. Regardless; the city is headed for troubles! Think taxes are high now - just wait!!!

The only real significance of the “strong mayor” system is the veto power. Whether the mayor really “runs the show” depends on the particular situation. In Salisbury, there has always been one or more well-paid assistants, some well-qualified and quite good (John Pick, who somewhat saved us from Barrie Tilghman), but some others not (as now the case). Recall that Ireton got rid of someone who had credentials and experience who moved to greener pastures.

Do you really believe that anyone would be let go who now works in the mayor’s office – not gonna happen. And Day just hired another assistant to do the big festival. Do you really think Day is overworked, with time to spare whining about the Winder sign at the courthouse and showboating on TV all the time? And if he and Barrie Tilghman are the best mayoral examples you can find, lord please save us.

Jonathan, do you recall or have you forgotten this from your past post on July 14 about the Winder marker (it's not really a "monument") on the county courthouse lawn:

"In Today's interview on Delmarva Public Radio however Jake really crossed a line in my opinion. If you listen to the interview and go to the 7 minute mark area Jake calls people who support leaving the monument where it is as "mostly ignorant" and at the 8 minute mark is asked if there is an underlying racial quality for supporting it being there his answer was "absolutely". He also states around the 7:40 second mark that the supporters don't want a monument regarding the lynching. That is complete bs. I have been interviewed multiple times and stated I have no issue with that as long as it tells the whole story."

Surprising that you support someone who has called you an "ignorant" racist, or has he apologized -- or maybe he told you that he was not speaking of you, even though you are the leader of the save the sign group.

Absolutely not! Barrie Parsons Tilghman was the WORST mayor in this city's history. Her incompetence cost this city at least $500,000 in lawsuit settlements. Not to mention the atrocious way she treated Colburn Dykes both before and after his death. Don't forget her $30,000 slush fund and settling lawsuits for her buddy Robin Cockey.

Fake Day is a self centered fool who only cares about his future political ambitions. He doesn't give a damn about this city except to advance his own personal career. If he needs more money, let him get a full time National Guard position. That should be easy for him since he is a brown noser and has connections with the Adjutant General's office.

He is a lousy mayor and doesn't deserve one red cent more. He is already overpayed. Instead of wasting more money on "downtown re-vitalization" he should be doing something about the increase in homicides in the city.

And don't forget - anyone who opposes the Cultural Marxist tactics of the Yamikawa crowd are "racists" according to Snowflake Jake.

What you people fail to realize is that the Mayor's job in Salisbury is a part time position. Anything else would require a charter change. There is already a city manager and 2 assistant city managers on the payroll running the city full time. I can not accept a pay increase for a part time position.

75k for what? What are his accomplishments? How many businesses are leaving now? Please someone, anyone tell me what he or the last administration accomplished? Please don’t say another Royal Farms or drug store.

You forgot to mention Jeanie Lloyd who was part of this "salary review committee' and supposedly she was put on the committee for her HR expertise. One thing you also forgot about this was the fact that Jeannie Lloyd is an at will employee that answers to Jake Day. That should have been a major red flag right there. Of course she is going to recommend a pay raise for her boss.

Something else you forgot to mention about these goobers is the fact that Kimberly C. Gillis, Chairperson is the wife of one of Jake Day's millennial boy friends. Doesn't the name "Gillis" ring a bell?? Gillis-Gilkerson? You know the same group that has been getting all the city properties around downtown for basically nothing! The old fire station deal, those parking lot deals, the Feldmans building. There are major problems and conflicts of interests with Kimberly C. Gillis.

Kimberly C. Gillis, Chairperson, and Jake Day should be brought up on ethical violations for his appointing her to this committee.

Thanks for putting this front and center, which Albero won't do because he knows the county's salary review gang is going to recommend a bigger pay increase for Culver. Neither he nor Day deserves to be reelected, much less a pay raise.

Anonymous said...Only you could endorse a pay raise that is recommended by the wife of one of Days biggest campaign contributors. This is just the rich keeping the rich richer. Its rich all right. More spoiled kids keeping each other in the money.

Anonymous said...Only you could endorse a pay raise that is recommended by the wife of one of Days biggest campaign contributors. This is just the rich keeping the rich richer. Its rich all right. More spoiled kids keeping each other in the money.

October 16, 2017 at 11:31 AM

Exactly. This is nothing but corruption and it should be reported to to the Department of Justice.

Jonathan Taylor said...bs ...instead of just thinking about how much you dislike Day, how about respect the hard work and position of Mayor. Jake Day like him or not is always working in that Office, you may not like his choices but that doesn't mean the office shouldn't pay more

Anonymous Anonymous said...Your rationalization of this way, as well as the committee that came up with it, is off base! Frederick City (much bigger and larger tax base) and Wicomico County (apples and oranges - city to county comparison) are the poorest examples. Fact is; they can't really find any comparable and just needed to make it look like they did. Even if, $75K was the right number, you don't just change it. At best; you'd phase it in! For example; using the council’s example, of 18%, adjust the mayor's salary 18% each election cycle, or yearly, until it is at the desired level. Regardless; the city is headed for troubles! Think taxes are high now - just wait!!!

October 16, 2017 at 12:12 PM

I agree with you 100%. When I saw them throw Wicomico County in there as a "Municipality" I knew it was BOGUS!!

I know what they were doing. There are no cities comparable so they threw Wicomico County in there with the $85,000 knowing the idiots would be thinking they were getting a deal at paying a part time mayor $75,000. BullShit people, don't let yourself be duped!!

The County Executive answers to 100,000 citizens while the Mayor only answers to 30,000. You are being DUPED!!

Anonymous said...Sorry but if the town had been prospering and running half way decent I would say 125K would be fine. But the shape this place is in with employment, crime, etc., 25K is too much. Just my humble opinion.

Anonymous Anonymous said...Yes JT, more, but not more than 99.5% of his constituents! $45,000 is more than fair for the job. He ran knowing the salary was $25,000 and was willing to make the commitment.

How about a $2500 raise per year for the next 8 years and then re-visit the issue? The city is incurring so many new costs with all of these new programs, the new festival, a new city hall, etc. Typical liberal ideology, tax and spend!

It's no wonder then city is full of renters, and not homeowners, no one can afford the taxes. And businesses can't either, so many move into the county, or even more so to Delaware.

Anonymous said...Barrie was the best -- can you say "seweage treatment plant" and $60 million wasted?

And look at what Day is dumping on Main Street these days.

October 16, 2017 at 2:41 PM

It's "sewage" and it was an $80 million dollar F*k Up under the advise of Bob Culvers attorney Paul Wilbur. Then it turned into another $80 million dollars on top of the first $80 million dollars and the tax payers are still paying for it today.

Anonymous said...Thanks for putting this front and center, which Albero won't do because he knows the county's salary review gang is going to recommend a bigger pay increase for Culver. Neither he nor Day deserves to be reelected, much less a pay raise.

It pains me to write this but Ireton had it right last night. Watch PAC. He says its a part time job. He says we are not Frederick or Baltimore (thank god). He said 32K. And did anybody notice that the mayor was not there?

Definitely NOT the salary increase. As stated above it is a part time position as per the city charter. It is irresponsible and imbecilic to even suggest that for a part time position without rewriting the charter to make the duties full time and get rid of the city admin. If Day made it full time position for him then good for him he is going above the duties, but elected positions were not ever meant to be careers for people. They were to meet a few times a year and then the rest of the time live and work among those who elect them so they are in tune to what people's concerns are.

President of the US only makes $ 400,000, so the suggestion is for the mayor to make approx 1/4 of what the US President Makes. WoW.... For a person who has not helped with the Job Market, does not seem to take a bite out of crime, only seems to care about a 2block radius, i think not .... you want to make money work for the private sector.... I possibly could be on board with a small increment and if the mayor does not have bennies let the mayor have bennies.... but because i am posting on a blog, the powers of be don't care .... and the current city administration is a tax and spend